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This is America

Stories of justice and action across America

Fri Sep 4 2026

It's been a decade since former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested racial injustice and police brutality by taking a knee in during the national anthem.

Hi there, This is America readers, I'm Phillip M. Bailey, chief political correspondent with USA TODAY.

The demonstrations began with the 38-year-old former football player sitting during a pre-season game and eventually morphed into kneeling. It was an action that rarely left many in the middle, including peers in Kaepernick's own group chat.

As USA TODAY's Nick Brinkerhoff spotlights there have been reports that among roughly 100 players there were mixed reactions back in 2016. Even among those who were sympathetic to Kaepernick's cause, some disagreed with not standing for the anthem.

That hasn't stopped an outpouring of continued support, however, among those who celebrate the long history of Black athletes speaking out on racial justice and other issues.

Kaepernick was named the Muhammad Ali Center's 2026 Humanitarian of the Year last month, for instance. It was almost six decades ago when Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight boxing championship for refusing induction into the military in opposition to the Vietnam War.

"Through Know Your Rights Camp and his broader philanthropic efforts, Colin has turned his convictions into meaningful action by educating, empowering and supporting young people and communities," Lonnie Ali, the former boxing legend's widow, who is co-founder of the center, said in a statement to the USA TODAY Network.

"His courage, sacrifice, and sustained dedication to service embody the humanitarian spirit and enduring legacy of Muhammad Ali."

Colin Kaepernick sits for a portrait on June 12, 2023, Los Angeles, Calif.

Yannick Peterhans, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co

For more on Kaepernick, check out USA TODAY's coverage:

Colin Kaepernick is Ali Center's Humanitarian of the Year. What to know.10 years after the kneel, why Colin Kaepernick's sacrifice endures | Opinion

Colin Kaepernick's football and activism career in pictures: Look.

Meet the South's first Black gay congressman

Newly sworn-in Rep. Everton Blair Jr. , D-Georgia, will serve just four months in Congress but that won't stop him from being etched into the history books.

Blair's bumpy road to Capitol Hill started with coming in third during the May primary to succeed longtime Rep. David Scott, who died in office earlier this year. He then ran in a separate race to fill out the remainder of Scott's term through January 2027 where Blair eventually pulled off an upset.

As USA TODAY's Jay Stahl reports, the short stint gives Blair little window to get much done but the 34-year-old freshman's plans are to focus on affordability and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named for the civil rights icon who later served in Congress.

Blair is only the third Black gay man elected in history to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first openly gay Black man to serve from the South. In 2020, Rep. Ritchie Torres and former Rep. Mondaire Jones, both of New York, made history as the first Black gay people elected to Congress.